Champagne and Couch Cushions
by starry19
Summary: 5x12 Tag - "And speaking of good days," he continued, reaching for the bag he'd sat on the floor, "I feel as though a celebration is in order." He pulled out a bottle of gas station champagne, the five-dollar price tag still attached, and two plastic cups he'd snagged from the kitchen. Lisbon eyed the bottle dubiously. "I see you spared no expense."


**AN:** I'll save my more elaborate ravings for Tumblr, but I _will_ say that there were things I loved about last night, and things that I disliked very much. Two pet peeves: why is a kidnapped kid in school? Seriously? AND could that ending have been any more abrupt? It was Lisbon's case! Can we at least get a wrap up scene with her?

ANYWHO. Consider this an extension of the episode.

And sorry, Tumblr people - I decided sex in the office was probably a little too OOC for this.

**Champagne and Couch Cushions **

Lisbon was sitting on her couch, head tipped back, hands clasped in her lap, when he finally made it back to the office.

He had taken a short drive to compose himself after reuniting Marvin with his mother. While he was glad of this happy ending, it had the unwelcome side effect of reminding him that there wasn't going to be a similar situation waiting for him, even if his plans worked out exactly the way he intended.

Revenge wouldn't bring them back.

It was difficult to acknowledge that sometimes, even after almost a decade.

Eventually, he had sucked in a deep breath and turned the Citroen back towards CBI. He made a quick stop on his way, assuming that there was going to be some sort of celebration going on in the office.

They had all worked hard on this case. It had been difficult, and there were times when each of them had wondered if there was any point in pursuing Volker. The man seemed to slip between their fingers every time they got close.

But Lisbon had been persistent to the point of being obsessive, and it had paid off.

He wondered if she would see the parallels between the two of them and cut him some slack in the future.

Surprisingly, the Serious Crimes Team was nowhere to be found. Frowning, he crossed to Lisbon's office, where he found her sitting, eyes closed, on the couch.

She was exhausted, he knew. She'd been running on coffee and adrenaline for the past few days, and it was bound to catch up with her.

Without saying a word, he sat down beside her. Her eyelids fluttered open slowly.

"Hey," she said softly.

"Hey, yourself," he replied. "Where's everybody at? Did we catch another case?"

She shook her head. "I sent them home. I've been working them like fiends and they deserved some rest."

He smiled. "Very kind of you, Lisbon. You should follow your own advice, however."

She gave a small shrug. "I will. I only meant to sit here for a minute in the first place, but I just got so comfortable."

"Mmm," he nodded. "I understand. I've slept here a time or two myself. I have excellent taste in furniture, don't I?"

Halfheartedly, she smacked his arm. "Did everything go okay with Marvin?" she asked, eyes landing on his face.

"Just fine," he assured her. "Needless to say, you're not the only one having a good day." He kept his expression carefully pleased. Lisbon didn't need to be burdened with any more of his demons.

Her lips quirked. "I'm glad to hear it."

"And speaking of good days," he continued, reaching for the bag he'd sat on the floor, "I feel as though a celebration is in order."

He pulled out a bottle of gas station champagne, the five-dollar price tag still attached, and two plastic cups he'd snagged from the kitchen.

Lisbon eyed the bottle dubiously. "I see you spared no expense."

Laughing, he carefully popped the cork. "Nothing but the best for you, my dear."

They clinked their glasses together with a dull _clunk_. "To Tommy Volker," Lisbon said. "May he rot in prison."

"And to you," Jane added, "May no other sociopaths be stupid enough to try and evade you in the future."

Her smile was broad as she sipped her drink. It faded, however, as she thought. He could guess where the conversation was headed.

"I'm worried about the fall-out from this, Jane," she said. "I did some questionable things."

He mulled that over for a moment. "Are you upset _because_ you did them, or are you simply worried about the repercussions from them?"

She took another sip, frowning. "I'm not sure." Her eyes met his. "What does that say about me?"

He held her gaze. "It means that you care more about doing the right thing than you do about following some made-up set of rules. It's certainly not a bad thing, Lisbon."

Looking unconvinced, she leaned further back into the cushions.

"Don't you dare let that Catholic guilt make you second-guess your actions," he told her, trying to tease a little. "Even the pope would agree with what you did."

She snorted. "Right, because you have such an insight into the papal brain."

He finished his champagne, then took Lisbon's empty glass from her lax fingers. Tossing the cups into the trash, he sat back next to her, their shoulders almost touching. "I'm proud of you," he said softly. "You never gave up, never let that bastard beat you."

She smiled gently.

"Although," he admitted, "you did have me worried a few times. I could see your obsession starting to take over your life. That's not a good thing to start."

Thoughtfully, she turned her head towards him. "Jane," she asked slowly. "is that how you feel all the time?"

"Nearly," he said evenly. "Yes."

"Well." She blinked. "I can see why you don't sleep much."

Unexpectedly, he laughed. "So are you going to stop yelling at me for napping during the day?"

"Doubtful," she replied, eyes closing.

They sat in silence for a few moments, then, "Volker says you threatened him," she said.

"Nonsense," he said firmly. "I simply introduced myself to him as one of your friends, the reasoning being that I wasn't going to have a chance to make his acquaintance when he was in prison."

"He says you grabbed him."

"Really, Lisbon, are you going to believe _Volker_? The man was just going to shoot an eight-year-old kid, if you've forgotten. I think whatever he says is entirely untrustworthy." In fact, Volker had been lucky that Jane had _only_ grabbed his arm. He had been fighting the ridiculous urge to punch the man in the face, despite physical violence not being his usual method of dealing with people who interfered with Lisbon.

Instead, he had merely told Volker he was Lisbon's friend. He had purposely not introduced himself as a member of the CBI, wanting the other man to recognize what was most definitely a threat. It was subtle, but Volker had been smart enough to figure it out.

"Jane?" she murmured, eyes still shut. "Thank you."

Lightly, searching by touch, she rested her hand on top of his. He turned his palm upwards, lacing their fingers together.

"Any time," he said, just as softly.

They were quiet again, the silence of the office peaceful after a long, exhausting day. After a few minutes, Lisbon's head tilted down to his shoulder. Her hand was slack in his.

Carefully, he stretched out his legs in front of him, trying not to jostle her. She deserved whatever rest she could take, and if she fell asleep on him, well...he wasn't going to be the one to move her.

Indulging himself, he tipped his own head in her direction, cheek brushing her hair.

Yes, she was definitely not the only one having a good day.


End file.
